The Tournament of Aeons
by David Stryder
Summary: DISCONTINUED due to lack of motivationinspirationintrestwhat-have-you. Apologies to anyone who was following it!
1. first round

The Tournament of Aeons--part 1  
  
by: David Stryder  
  
*********************  
  
As the dawn broke over the horizon, a young woman stood before   
  
a vast open field, which contained only herself, some rocks, and   
  
her opponent. The Calm Lands were the perfect setting for what was   
  
about to happen. The young summoner, Yuna, held her staff in front   
  
of her and prepared to summon forth the beings entrusted to her   
  
by the statues known as the fayth. The Aeons. Her friends and   
  
guardians stood or sat off to the side, watching intently.  
  
Her opponent, another summoner herself, did the same. Belgemine   
  
was surrounded by electricity and it flowed around her, until it   
  
created a kind of vortex. The Aeon known as Ixion burst forth from   
  
it, galloping around the side and standing ready to fight.  
  
Not to be outdone, Yuna summoned fire from her weapon, which   
  
dropped to the ground and caused it to burst forth, calling Ifrit,   
  
the fire demon. Now, while you'd normally expect the fight to start   
  
right then, something different happened this morning. The   
  
summonings continued...  
  
--Belgemine called forth the winged beast, Valefor.  
  
--Yuna summoned the queen of ice, Shiva.  
  
--Belgemine called upon the king of dragons, Bahamut.  
  
--Yuna then summoned the ancient guardian, who fights for a price,   
  
Yojimbo (and his little dog).  
  
--Belgemine finally called her last Aeon, which happened to be a set   
  
of Aeons, the Magus Sisters.  
  
--Yuna finished her team by calling forth a great chain and hook which   
  
plunged into the earth and dragged out the Dark Aeon, Anima.  
  
The daughter of Braska asked, "Ready?"  
  
To which the more experienced summoner replied, "Anytime."  
  
You see, the two summoners had discussed this mornings events and had   
  
reached an agreement. They had decided that all of the Aeons would be   
  
summoned to take part in a kind of tournament. Curiousity is what   
  
drove this, really. They wanted to see which Aeon would prove itself   
  
to be the best among them with one major difference--during the battles,   
  
the creatures would use their own judgement and fight for themselves, as   
  
opposed to taking orders from the summoners. There would be a total of   
  
seven fights, in a process of elimination, to determine the champion.  
  
--The first fight--  
  
Bahamut stood there, arms crossed as usual, glaring at his opponent.   
  
Valefor was hovering above the ground, also staring. Tension mounted.  
  
Rikku acted as referee, throwing a grenade into the middle of the 'ring'   
  
which served as a signal to start the match.   
  
Bahamut charged first, appearing through the smoke of the explosion and   
  
rushing right at the smaller flyer. Valefor flew strait up, dodging the   
  
initial attack by mere inches and following it with Sonic Wings. The   
  
shock wave was blocked by a quick turn and closing wings. The dragon landed   
  
then, and began charging up his magic. Four balls of black energy formed   
  
around him and flew out towards the other Aeon, 2 missing and 2 making   
  
contact with each wing. Valefor landed as well, and was clearly injured.   
  
At this point, the bird-like creature also charged up his own energy into   
  
his beak. The great dragon just stood there, curious to see the strength   
  
of this small creature. Valefor, eager to comply, released the energy in a   
  
thin beam, aimed at Bahamuts feet. The ground exploded under him and the   
  
Energy Beam attack did it's damage. However, it wasn't enough, and the   
  
dragon king charged once again, this time quicker. Valefor had used up the   
  
last of his energy in that attack and couldn't fly anyway, so the clawed   
  
hand took the last bits of HP and ended the first match of the Aeon   
  
Tournament.  
  
Winner: BAHAMUT  
  
--The second fight--  
  
The ice goddess Shiva stepped forward next, and Yojimbo right next to her.   
  
"So your my opponent, eh?" She looked him over. "Not bad. A little heavy   
  
on the robes, though." The warrior made no reply, and didn't even look her   
  
way as they proceeded towards the designated area.   
  
Once again, a grenade signaled the start of the match.   
  
At once, Shiva charged up her ice powers and prepared for her Overdrive.   
  
"Sorry, handsome. I've got a title to win, so if you'll kindly stand still..."  
  
The massive energy gathered into her hand and she could barely make out a   
  
form through the smoke of the grenade. Her target. Lowering her hand, she   
  
released everything she had been collecting all at once, almost freezing   
  
the very air around her. The wave spread and engulfed the entire area in   
  
front of her. The icy maiden laughed to herself when she saw that same dark   
  
form deep inside the wall of ice. "Oh, yeah...almost forgot." She snapped   
  
her fingers and all of the ice exploded at once, causing some of the   
  
onlookers to be blown backwards.   
  
It was only when she noticed the log where Yojimbo was supposed to be did   
  
she get worried. Her blue locks of hair swung wildly as she looked around   
  
for him.   
  
"Impressive power. But useless when wasted," an icy voice behind her stated.   
  
Shiva barely heard the sound of the sword being drawn from it's sheath when   
  
the attack came. Several slashes to her back, none deep, but enough to damage   
  
her greatly. When she looked back up at the samurai standing over her, he said,   
  
"The battle is over. There is no need to finish you off." Then the Aeon extended   
  
his hand to help the ice queen to her feet.  
  
Winner: YOJIMBO...  
  
As they walked back to the sidelines, something happened. Stormclouds rolled in   
  
out of nowhere and lightning started crashing all around them. Shiva disappeared,   
  
but Yojimbo stayed where he was. Even as an Aeon, there was no mistaking a   
  
warriors spirit. A warrior had come to challenge him.   
  
The horse trotted in on six legs. The rider had two massive horns on his head.   
  
Both clad in foriegn-looking armor, the rider also carried an enormous sword.   
  
Known in the land of his origin as a GF, Odin came forward and dismounted. The   
  
Aeon stood his ground, only drawing his own sword as the rain began to fall.  
  
Yuna and the others were near panic. They had never seen anything like this warrior   
  
before. Even Auron was impressed. None knew how he had gotten here, but the   
  
summoners knew to just let the two fight it out among themselves.  
  
In a flash of lightning, the two vanished. All that could be known of the battle was   
  
the rapid clangs of the blades meeting each other at such speed that no human eyes   
  
could follow. At some points, the rain was forced away from the blows because there   
  
was so much power being displayed.   
  
Almost as fast as it started, the battle came to a pause. The two beings were stopped   
  
on opposite sides of the now muddy plains, facing away from each other. Slowly, they   
  
turned to look at each other. Odin nodded slowly and mounted his steed. Yojimbo   
  
responded in a similar manner, but only turned to walk away. Odin, the GF,   
  
returned to his world in the same way he left--in a flash of lightning.  
  
-Bonus Round-  
  
Winner by default: YOJIMBO  
  
To Be Continued... 


	2. first round, second half

The Tournament of Aeons--part 2  
  
by: David Stryder  
  
*********************  
  
--The third fight--  
  
By this time, the sun was about a third of the way across the sky,   
  
and the next Aeons to walk out were bickering amongst themselves.   
  
The Magus Sisters were never ones to get along, anyway. Cindy, Mindy,   
  
and Sandy made up the only multiple Aeon summoning. They only stopped   
  
fighting when a shadow loomed over them; the Dark Aeon, Anima simply   
  
sat there, bound and moaning as usual. The sisters just couldn't keep   
  
fighting with that ...thing watching them like that.   
  
A third grenade flew in and blew up, starting the next match.  
  
Unlike the prior fights, no one moved. Anima couldn't, obviously, but   
  
the sisters were at a loss as to how to fight this creature. Since   
  
they didn't move first, the massive Anima did. Energy gathered into the   
  
only open eye, muscles tightened, and Pain ripped through her and out   
  
of the eye. The waves went strait towards Cindy, and she was down   
  
instantly. This was enough to kick the others into action.   
  
The small one, Mindy, went for her Passado attack which fired energy in   
  
small bursts from her ...lower section. The taller sister, Sandy, charged   
  
up her forearm blades and let loose her attack. Both were very discouraged   
  
to find that their attacks did very little to harm the immense beast before   
  
them. So there was only one thing left to do...RUN LIKE HELL!!  
  
That is, if the next wave of Pain hadn't been ready to go. The target this   
  
time was the little one. The waves slammed into her back and she was down,   
  
just like her other sister. The tall one was the only one left, now.   
  
However, she was more evasive than the others, and multiple Pain waves   
  
missed. This only served to piss off the larger Aeon, and Anima gathered even   
  
more energy then before. The third and final Magus Sister was suddenly   
  
hit with what seemed to be an intense gravitational pull, and disappeared   
  
underground. For several seconds, the onlookers saw only Anima looking   
  
very stressed. The ground seemed to rumble, and then 'spit' out the limp   
  
form of the third Magus sister. She landed with a dull thud, the plastered   
  
look on her face that of sheer terror.   
  
...The other spectators didn't look too happy, either. Oblivion was the kind   
  
of attack that gives you serious nightmares.  
  
Winner: ANIMA  
  
--The fourth fight--  
  
After what seemed like forever, Ifrit and Ixion were finally able to do what   
  
they had been summoned to do, even though they were summoned first. Both   
  
looked particularly annoyed and anxious.  
  
Once again, a grenade lifted a cloud of smoke to begin the fight.  
  
With a loud cry, the thunder horse Ixion charged strait towards the demon of   
  
fire, horn aimed right between the eyes. Ifrit, however, had other ideas.   
  
Using only his hands and his leverage, the hellhound's great hands grabbed   
  
the horn of Ixion and held it there. No one moved. Ifrit's great strength had   
  
managed to keep his attacker at bay, and now he simply had to hold it there   
  
until he could come up with another strategy. All at once, a great bolt of   
  
electricity surged through the horn, slamming Ifrit to the ground. Ixion then   
  
lept backwards to put some distance between them. He let loose his Aerospark   
  
a few times, switching from a close-range to long-range strategy. Ifrit then   
  
countered with his Meteor Strike. The attacks hit each other and canceled out.  
  
Both seeing that this fight was going nowhere, Ifrit moved first. He charged up   
  
a pair of fireballs and flung them at his attacker, causing the horse to be thrown   
  
upwards in a column of fire. He followed this with another Meteor Strike, in midair,   
  
and landed, digging his claws into the dirt to stop the sliding. However, what   
  
came next suprised the fire demon; the fire tornado spurt forth a thick beam   
  
of electricity that engulfed Ifrit quite nicely. The Aeon of Fire struggled to   
  
complete his attack while being attacked, and managed to pick up a nice chunk of   
  
rock to fling. What he never saw coming, however, was the fact that the rock had   
  
absorbed the attack, and the gathering of eletricity on that rock reacted with   
  
the fire column that the horse was still trapped inside. The resulting explosion   
  
was enough to blow a few guardians backwards quite a ways, including the two   
  
summoners. Auron, of course, just stood there as if there was no explosion.  
  
As the dust setteled, a weakened Ifrit stood by the fallen steed and let loose a   
  
roar of triumph.   
  
Winner: IFRIT  
  
-----------------------INTERMISSION-----------------------  
  
The remaining Aeons stayed with the summoners and their guardians without disappearing,   
  
and at this point, they took a rest. At first, no one noticed Yojimbo's dog-like   
  
companion still sitting to the side, watching. For the sake of telling the story, we'll   
  
call him Daigoro, like the name of the attack that he performs.   
  
Daigoro began trotting back to the group when a hole opened up in the ground, right   
  
in his path. Quickly, a small, pale green head popped out. This head contained large   
  
rabbit ears and a red jewel in the middle of his forehead. Carbunkle looked around,   
  
obviously confused, and began to retreat back down his hole...until he noticed a strange   
  
creature watching him. This propped some severe curiousity, and the small rabbit jumped   
  
out and immedietly started inspecting his new friend. Daigoro wasn't all too happy with   
  
this, and slowly backed up. Carbunkle either didn't notice, or didn't care. He just kept   
  
getting closer, sniffing. This prompted the dog to raise one paw in the air as more of a   
  
warning. The rabbit ignored it. This resulted in a quick whack and a scratched head jewel.   
  
Oh, that was it. It's on, now. The tiny GF no longer cared about a new friend, but avenging   
  
the damage to his precious headpiece. The resulting tussle didn't last long, but it was   
  
loud enough to draw the attention of all the current residents of the Calm lands, human or   
  
otherwise.   
  
---  
  
Daigoro finally limped back to the group, one paw raised, a few cuts here and   
  
there; Carbunkle trotted away, indignant, and leaped back into his hole.  
  
Winner: ...uh, CARBUNKLE ....?  
  
To Be Continued...(again)  
  
______________________________________________  
  
I know these aren't very long right now, but I'll make up for it   
  
in the next couple of chapters. Please review! 


	3. second round SEMIFINALS

Ha! I am the king of procrastination! It took me ... 5 months to update this blasted story, but lets just see how it works out, shall we?  
  
Oh, and I didn't mention it before, but I own nothing related to final fantasy, legally.  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
SEMIFINALS  
  
Well, now that the first round fights were over, everyone decided to take a break. Only Bahamut, Yojimbo, Anima, and Ifrit were left; the rest had disappeared already. They all went to do various things; get some water, take a pee break, etc. Minutes later, they were all back at their previous places, ready to cheer on their allies.  
  
Yojimbo stood in the vast expanse of the Calm lands and looked around. His opponent was currently flying circles around him, making him harder to track. Bahamut, meanwhile, was worried. He knew that Yojimbo was no fool, and he was only circling to buy enough time to come up with an effective strategy. That time, however, was short-lived: the grenade had been launched.  
  
The samurai was indeed no fool; he already had a strategy. He quickly reached under his robe and pulled out several small knives, which he flung through the air at incredible speed strait at the great dragon. Bahamut had no time to react before they struck several key points and he came tumbling down. Bahamut then surrounded himself with a thin wall of energy, intending to land on his opponent like a bomb, but the elusive warrior dodged at the last minute. The resulting crash left a great crater, several kilometers wide. It appeared as if Yojimbo had already won, because the dragon was not moving. Wary, the aeon decended the crater wall to examine him...  
  
Only to be blown back by 4 large, black energy balls that seemed to come out of nowhere. You see, Bahamut didn't get the title of 'King of the Dragons' for no reason. He is, in fact, smarter than most humans. Yojimbo simply didn't know that, therefore underestimating his enemy. A fatal flaw.  
  
Stunned, the samurai stood back up, only to see two things happening very quickly: the great dragon leaping out of the hole and assuming his postion, and a brilliant, blue-white energy wave erupting from his mouth.  
  
SEMIFINALS-FIRST ROUND-WINNER: BAHAMUT  
  
Anima had not moved from her position from the moment she had been summoned to now. The fights just seemed to relocate to accomodate for that. Ifrit was next, and he was not cocky, but at the same time, he was not terrified. Nervous was more like it. The firey aeon had already seen for himself what she was capable of, and made it a point to not suffer the same fate. When the grenade went off in between them, he immedietly began moving.  
  
This method may not be popular, but it was the one with the best chance of winning. Ifrit ran around to Animas back side, noticing that the Dark aeon did not seem to be able to turn. Immedietly, he gathered everything he had, all the fire he could access, and lauched a Hellfire attack that made the onlookers shield their faces from the heat. And they were a ways away. This was really something--even Yuna had never seen Ifrit use that much power on an enemy.  
  
When the smoke cleared, however, Anima was not injured. There was only a small burn on her back.  
  
Well, that was all he needed. Ifrits fighting spirit sank. At the same time, he seemed to levitate and float around to the front of the large creature. While the aeon floated in midair, Anima did something that would burn into the memories of all who witnessed it. She bent forward and chomped down on Ifrits left arm! The dark aeon was flinging him around like a ragdoll from her mouth!! Needless to say, the limp, now one-armed aeon had lost-- the larger aeon, with one severed, furry arm dangling from her sharp teeth, had won.  
  
SEMIFINALS-SECOND ROUND-WINNER: ANIMA...  
  
Wakka, meanwhile, was busy vomiting up his breakfast a few feet away. 


	4. Final round

Okay, we're on the finals now! It's down to Bahamut versus Anima. This still may not be too long, though. I can't seem to drag these things out like I used to.  
  
------------------------  
  
By this time, the sun was starting it's slow decent over and past the horizon. All of the aeons had battled each other and only two were left. Bahamut, the king of the dragons, and the Dark Aeon, Anima. Both had made their way to this fight by almost 'too easy' wins. Now came the true test. Now we would know which of these two aeons was the stongest.  
  
The last grenade was thrown and the final match began.  
  
Anima began charging up her Pain attack at the same time that Bahamut began charging up his Impulse attack. The energys collided midway and caused a powerful explosion. When the smoke cleared, however, Bahamut was on the move. He had gotten to a running start and managed to land a clawed punch to his opponent's face as he flew by. He then started circling just as several more waves of Pain literally ignited the air behind him. Anima was getting pissed. Never before had an opponent given her such a hard time, and the match had just started!  
  
The dragon landed, then decided to try some spells. Concentrating, and a great bolt of lightning crashed down and did some pretty major damage, considering what the last fire attack did. It wasn't enough, however, as Anima also tried Thundaga. Bahamut managed to ground himself with his tail to avoid most of the damage, then countered by causing the very air around the giant aeon to freeze together and do a kind of crushing attack. Blizzaga actually seemed to work pretty well, because now Anima was crying out.  
  
Whatever high hopes the great dragon had worked up were dissolved when he saw that Anima's cry was actually a cry of rage. The aeons long, thin arms were straing at the chains that binded them, the whole mass itself was literally twisting and thrashing, trying to break free. And the roars continued.  
  
By this point, all of the audience, guardians and summoner alike, were onboard the airship looking down from a (hopefully) safe distance.  
  
All at once, Anima calmed down. The battle came to a pause. Both aeons stared. Between the two of them, Anima was the most damaged, because Bahamut had avoided almost all of the attacks. But that would soon change.  
  
Bahamut was suddenly hit with a massive gravity pull, dragging him through the ground's surface before he could react. _He found himself in a new realm, looking at Anima's other (better?) half. It was all skeletal, and not chained up at all. When the attacks came, they came fast, but the king of the dragons was able to block the majority of them. Claws flashed. Bones clanged. Finally, the other half of Anima charged up one fist for the finishing blow that would never come.  
_  
Back on the surface, the upper half of Anima was almost in a trace. Nothing moved for a few minutes. All at once, the ground around the dark aeon lit up like it was about to burst into flames. With one last cry, Anima began to disappear from the ground up, engulfed in a pillar of that famillar blue-white light.  
  
Bahamut climbed up from the resulting hole and stood there for a minute, then unleashed a massive roar of victory to signal the end of the fight.  
  
TOURNAMENT WINNER: BAHAMUT!!!  
  
--------------  
  
Without warning, the sky, which was a fading blue shifting into a beautiful crimson of sunset, became overcast. The dark clouds came out of nowhere. It was just like when that horned swordsman came, only worse. More ominus. Bahamut stood still, waiting for the one who would come to fight...  
  
and he was not disappointed.  
  
------------------------  
  
Well, whaddya think? It turned out longer than I thought, but that's okay. I'm kinda stuck on who the last fighter should be. It'll be a GF, but I can't decide between Eden, GF Bahamut, Cerberus, or someone else. Please R&R and give your opinion! 


End file.
